Ex-Marlin Logan Morrison returns to South Florida this weekend, but only as a spectator. Wednesday, the Mariners placed Morrison on the 15-day disabled list and recalled Nick Franklin. In the first inning of Monday's game at Texas, Morrison was removed with a tight right hamstring. He was supposed to play right and hit fifth that night. Morrison has appeared in eight games with his new team, going 3-for-20 (.150) with three singles, two walks and five strikeouts. He is expected to travel with the club to South Florida.

Ex-Marlin Logan Morrison returns to South Florida this weekend, but only as a spectator. Wednesday, the Mariners placed Morrison on the 15-day disabled list and recalled Nick Franklin. In the first inning of Monday's game at Texas, Morrison was removed with a tight right hamstring. He was supposed to play right and hit fifth that night. Morrison has appeared in eight games with his new team, going 3-for-20 (.150) with three singles, two walks and five strikeouts. He is expected to travel with the club to South Florida.

At Florida State, they're coming and going on a daily basis. Seemingly every time an injured impact player returns to the practice field, another bites the dust. Wednesday night, starting tight end Nick Franklin injured his left knee while running plays against the scout team and will be sidelined for an undetermined time. Franklin, a senior, is believed to have damaged some cartilage. He will have an MRI exam today and likely will be replaced in the lineup for Saturday's game with No. 10 Georgia Tech by Ryan Sprague, who was the starter in the season opener.

John Franklin, the father of Florida State tight end Nick Franklin, died the week after Father's Day of a heart attack. He was 58 and suffering from bone cancer. Until his father died, Franklin thought the toughest card life had dealt him was a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee before the second game of the 1999 season against Georgia Tech. "The injury gave me time to reflect on football and life," Franklin said, "but my father's death gave me a new perspective. You think football matters until you see how much it doesn't matter."

Sebastian Janikowski, Florida State's All-American kicker, was more than a little miffed when his first field goal attempt of the season clanged off the upright and bounced wide. "That was a lesson for me, and I tried to correct it in practice," said the Polish-born junior. "Hey, you're the kicker, you've got to be perfect." He was that and then some Saturday, drilling five field goals to lead No. 1 FSU to a 42-11 victory over No. 20 N.C. State. With the offense struggling in the red zone, Janikowski booted field goals of 30, 47, 22, 31 and 47 yards to tie a single-game school record.

By PAUL ROTHMAN The Orlando Sentinel and CRAIG BARNES, August 14, 1998

With starter Myron Jackson injured, Nick Franklin is making his push for the tight end job. Jackson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on June 25, which has limited his ability to contribute. And that's opened things for Franklin, a junior transfer from Southwest Mississippi Junior College. "Franklin catches the best right now," coach Bobby Bowden said. "Myron is not as consistent, but he is much better than he was last season at this time. We don't throw to the tight end often, so when we do, you have to catch it."

Coach Bobby Bowden's new five-year contract is near completion and will be finished by the end of the month. "The negotiations are going smoothly," Athletic Director Dave Hart said. "If things continue as they're currently moving, the contract will be finished by the end of the month." It was hoped that the contract would be finished before the start of the season, but a couple of points are still unsettled. Bowden, 69, currently earns nearly $1 million annually. The new contract could call for a base salary of $1.4 million to $1.5 million with the possibility of increasing by $200,000-$300,000 annually based on certain criteria.

John Franklin, the father of Florida State tight end Nick Franklin, died the week after Father's Day of a heart attack. He was 58 and suffering from bone cancer. Until his father died, Franklin thought the toughest card life had dealt him was a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee before the second game of the 1999 season against Georgia Tech. "The injury gave me time to reflect on football and life," Franklin said, "but my father's death gave me a new perspective. You think football matters until you see how much it doesn't matter."

Florida State tight end Ryan Sprague played his best game. Too bad his biggest fans weren't there to see it. Sprague, a senior from Augusta, Ga., doubled his season total for catches with four for 87 yards as FSU beat Virginia 37-3. But for the first time, his parents were unable to attend. Sprague's sister, Jennifer, was due to give birth back home. "It kind of puts it in perspective," Sprague said, adding that the baby had not been born as of game time Saturday. "I had a great game, but my sister's having a child at home, so you can celebrate birth.

Sebastian Janikowski, Florida State's All-American kicker, was more than a little miffed when his first field goal attempt of the season clanged off the upright and bounced wide. "That was a lesson for me, and I tried to correct it in practice," said the Polish-born junior. "Hey, you're the kicker, you've got to be perfect." He was that and then some Saturday, drilling five field goals to lead No. 1 FSU to a 42-11 victory over No. 20 N.C. State. With the offense struggling in the red zone, Janikowski booted field goals of 30, 47, 22, 31 and 47 yards to tie a single-game school record.

Coach Bobby Bowden's new five-year contract is near completion and will be finished by the end of the month. "The negotiations are going smoothly," Athletic Director Dave Hart said. "If things continue as they're currently moving, the contract will be finished by the end of the month." It was hoped that the contract would be finished before the start of the season, but a couple of points are still unsettled. Bowden, 69, currently earns nearly $1 million annually. The new contract could call for a base salary of $1.4 million to $1.5 million with the possibility of increasing by $200,000-$300,000 annually based on certain criteria.

At Florida State, they're coming and going on a daily basis. Seemingly every time an injured impact player returns to the practice field, another bites the dust. Wednesday night, starting tight end Nick Franklin injured his left knee while running plays against the scout team and will be sidelined for an undetermined time. Franklin, a senior, is believed to have damaged some cartilage. He will have an MRI exam today and likely will be replaced in the lineup for Saturday's game with No. 10 Georgia Tech by Ryan Sprague, who was the starter in the season opener.

By PAUL ROTHMAN The Orlando Sentinel and CRAIG BARNES, August 14, 1998

With starter Myron Jackson injured, Nick Franklin is making his push for the tight end job. Jackson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on June 25, which has limited his ability to contribute. And that's opened things for Franklin, a junior transfer from Southwest Mississippi Junior College. "Franklin catches the best right now," coach Bobby Bowden said. "Myron is not as consistent, but he is much better than he was last season at this time. We don't throw to the tight end often, so when we do, you have to catch it."

Florida State defensive end Chris Walker will have exploratory arthroscopic surgery on his right knee today, marking the third time that the knee has been operated on in his five seasons as a Seminole. Most recently, the senior from Cocoa Beach had surgery on the knee in the spring, but something else has come loose in the joint area. If the damage is deemed serious, Walker indicated he might play with the injury and have further surgery at a later date. "They're going to go in and clean it up and clip the cartilage if needed," said Walker, who sees plenty of action as the second-team end. "If they do any repair, I could miss the season."

At the end of any academic term, the best news for a college football team is no news. It's why Florida State fielded a full squad at practice Tuesday. The fourth-ranked Seminoles learned that all of the players are eligible for the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl against No.9 Ohio State and also for the spring semester. Such developments meant that a handful of players thought to be in academic trouble made the necessary scores on final exams to keep playing. Last year FSU lost one player to grades before its bowl game, but it proved a costly loss.